C.S.A.: THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA
If you smashed Dave Chappelle and Ken Burns together in a Play-Dough pasta maker, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America might come oozing out. The only difference is that CSA is not nearly as insightful or as funny as either one.
This mockumentary is meant to be a documentary based on the fact that France and England joined the side of the Confederacy helping it to win the Civil War and said documentary is being shown on a Confederate television station. Got that? Yes it’s just like Kentucky Fried Movie, but more racist-y. This documentary is in the Ken Burns vein, so there’s plenty of talking heads and actors doing voiceovers for historical figures, both real and imagined. Along with this, we are also subjected to a seemingly never ending barrage of fake commercials and station identifications that are steeped in racial inequality.
Part of me thinks that Kevin Willmott actually thought that he was making a film that would satirize racism in the say way Dave Chappelle did on his show. Sadly, making white people uncomfortable isn’t always social commentary. In cases such as this, I feel as though you desensitize people to it, once the initial shock of seeing Abraham Lincoln in black face has worn off. What happens is that instead of laughing at the absurdity of these situations, CSA ends up hinging its humor on laughing at people being called “jigaboos” and grinning and calling people “boss.” This seems to be entirely antithetical to the point of the film. Now, I realize that many of the people, events, and commercial products are real, but by the time this has been revealed to the viewer, it’s too late.
The main focus is following a political family from its early days abolishing emancipation to its downfall. I won’t give away what happens, but let’s just say it’s accompanied by a Bill Clinton quote that, much like the rest of the humor, is just painfully corny. Some things here follow a fairly logical line, such as the Confederacy supporting Hitler’s idea of racial superiority. However, what does slavery have to do with a local television station broadcasting a public execution?
The problem at the core of this film is that you can’t satirize something that didn’t actually happen. There’s no point of reference. Besides that, what’s point? To tell us slavery would have been a bad idea? I dare say the vast majority of Americans would agree. Is it to point out subversive bits of racism and slavery references still within our culture? If so, why bother rapping it up in a ninety minute barrage of ridiculous cornball humor.
I like the basic premise of this film: what would have happened if the south had won the Civil War? It would have been far more productive if Willmott had gathered a collection of professors and other talking heads to actually discuss this possibility and slavery’s cultural residue. Far more actual information could have been gleaned instead of watching CSA spin its wheels without ever going anywhere. The chance to influence and actually educate is lost.
Basically what we have here is a one note joke that tries to pull the rug out from underneath the audience at the end. The problem is the joke isn’t funny and we’re not standing on the rug.
The Grade
- Story: D
- Acting: D-
- Visuals: B
- Originality: B+
- Enjoyability: F
- Overall: D
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